Say Something
by rain-shimmer
Summary: A Fairy Tail Laxus/Lucy fan fiction about self-discovery, love and heartbreak. The title is based off of the song "Say Something" By A Great Big World (feat. Christina Aguilera) which was my inspiration for this story. Rated M for future chapters (possible lemons, language). Reviews/comments/criticism are welcome! I hope you all like it! ***Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.
1. Chapter One

**A/N:**

_Hello readers! This is my first fanfiction and I hope you all like it as much as I enjoy writing it! Keep in mind that I am a part-timer worker and a full-time student, so I won't have a TON of time to write, but I will try my best to post a new chapter bi-weekly. I have a math course that I'm working on, and it finishes up June 17th. I will have a LOT more time to write once this is all over. Reviews/comments/criticism are welcome! Love 3_

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**Chapter One**

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"Jeez it's hot out", Lucy groaned as she pulled her hair up into a ponytail, leaving two thick stands hanging loosely at either side of her face. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and fanned her face with both hands in a feeble attempt to cool off.

The soothing hum of cicadas was carried with the moist summer breeze.

"Puhh puhh!" Plue replied. He walked side by side with his master as they made their way down a quiet street in downtown Magnolia. His white face sagged and jiggled as if the setting sun were melting it.

Even at dusk the temperature in the summertime was uncomfortably warm.

"Well, that last job wasn't too bad, but I wish the reward had been bigger", Lucy put her hands behind her head and frowned. "I have to pay rent soon."

"_Pluhh!"_ Plue raised an eyebrow.

Lucy sweat dropped and scratched her cheek bashfully, "Yeah, I probably shouldn't have spent what little earnings I made on jewelry, but it was on sale and it's cute!" She gently wiggled her wrist and admired the new glittery silver bracelet wrapped around it.

"And of course your matching collar is adorable!" she chortled.

A thin silver collar sparkled around the little dog's neck. Plue cooed and began twirling as he waddled beside her.

"I'm glad you like it!"

They passed several craft tables and food stands as they continued down the street, but there were very few people out and about at this time of day. Everyone was cleaning up for the night or making preparations for new business opportunities tomorrow.

The blonde mage gazed up at the purple evening sky.

_It's nice just going out on my own_. _I don't feel as useless when I have to fend for myself. Normally Natsu, Gray or Erza are capable of handling things on their own, so I'm left on the sidelines to cheer them on or be rescued._

Lucy turned to look down at the little dog and smiled, "It was fun working _alone_ with my spirits for once."

"Pluhh! Pluhh!", Plue chortled, waving his arms about in approval.

Chuckling, she continued, "I can't imagine how annoyed Natsu and Happy must have been when they found out I left on a job without them!"

The blonde mage stroked Plue's drooping head, "Next time I'll pick a tougher job!" She enthusiastically thrust a fist in the air, "And a tougher job means a _bigger reward_!" Dollar signs bounced off of her crazed brown eyes.

By now, the street lights flickered on as the last remaining sunlight took refuge behind the surrounding mountains.

The little dog yawned, his eyes fluttering sleepily. Lucy put her arms out and stretched, exposing her toned midriff to the humidity that enveloped them. "Yeah, I'm tired too. You can go back now. I'll see you soon okay?"

"Pluhh!" Plue waved his master goodbye and disappeared into a cloud of rippling gold.

Lucy continued by her lonesome, turning a corner where the local buildings cast a great shadow on the route that would take her home. An eerie silence consumed the dark path that she followed, that is until her stomach began to growl obnoxiously. She snorted and rubbed her belly in reassurance.

_I guess I'm hungry. I'll make something yummy to eat when I get back._

Lucy's mind wandered to the fridge and pantry in her apartment and she scrunched her nose while sorting through her memory of their contents. Groaning, her head fell to her chest in both exasperation and disappointment.

"I forgot that I needed groceries! Stupid bracelet, seducing me with its irresistible sparkle…_" _She glared at her latest piece of jewelry before smacking her forehead in shame.

"Hey there!" a husky voice called, pulling the mage from her reverie.

Stopping in her tracks, she turned her head to see three suspicious looking men following behind her. Her body tensed and she quickly started walking again, this time at a swifter pace. The three men grunted at her dismissal and jogged to catch up to her.

She whipped around upon hearing their hurried footsteps, "Please leave me alone."

"Hi little lady", a man with a dark five'o clock shadow winked at her as they approached.

A second man with a shaved head and dangerously green eyes spoke up, "You're a _babe_. What's your name?"

Lucy clenched her jaw in annoyance.

"Want to have a good time? Come with us", invited the third, tallest man. This one was lanky and wore a florescent orange bandana on his bulbous head. He held his hand out to her in a pathetic attempt to be chivalrous, but she refused.

"What do you _want_?" Lucy demanded. She started slowly walking backwards. The three thugs inched closer and closer, chuckling amongst themselves. "I don't have any money! So you can just—"

"We don't want your money, sweetheart", the bald man interrupted. "We just want to talk, that's all…"

Lucy's heart rate began to quicken when she realized that they were herding her into a dark alleyway in the corner of the block. "Sorry, but I try not to make a habit of mingling with perverts", she stated with a venomous glare.

The scruffy man scowled at her, "Just _who_ do you think you are, calling us perverts?" He pushed past his comrades and stepped even closer to her.

A visible shiver rolled up Lucy's spine, "Anyone who has to corner a girl to get her to talk to them is either a total loser or a pervert. Which one are you guys?" She hoped that her false confidence would discourage them from pursuing her, but they saw right through her façade.

"Oh really?" the bald man barked. He worked his way towards her, his two friends in tow. All three of them had unpleasant grins on their creepy faces.

"I like 'em feisty", the tall one drooled.

"Back off!" Lucy's brow furrowed and she reached down for her keys on instinct. "I'm _warning_ you!"

By now, the three men were a mere foot away from the celestial mage. She tried to back away from them but found her body pinned up against the alley wall.

Lucy thrust a key in their direction and braced herself, "Open, gate of the Golden Bull, Taurus!"

Nothing happened; not a flicker of golden celestial magic to be seen.

Gasping, a terrified Lucy was left with the realization that she had used up all of her magic at the job she took earlier in the day. She trembled and slouched over in shock.

_What now?_

Lucy began to panic, staring wide-eyed in silence at her pursuers. There was no way that she could fight off all three of them at once

"Was that supposed to scare us?" Bandana man scoffed. They all snickered sadistically.

Lucy didn't reply and stared at her feet in absolute fear.

"Naw, man. I think she was giving us the key to her apartment", the bald man suggested with a devious grin. Suddenly, his face was right beside her ear and he whispered to her, "You want to invite us into your bedroom, don't you?"

At this point Lucy's entire body was shaking and she whimpered helplessly. He grabbed a lock of her hair, bringing it to his nose and inhaled deeply. She grimaced and turned her head to the side in disgust.

"You know, I've always had a thing for blondes…" the bald man cooed, his malicious green eyes taking in all of her feminine curves.

Lucy shuddered. This was it, she was going to be assaulted and there was absolutely nothing that she could do to defend herself. Where was that flame-brain Natsu when she needed him?

"So you like blondes, huh?" a rumbling voice came from above them.

Lucy and the thugs all looked up at the rooftop behind her. There, in the light of the rising moon stood Laxus, his arms crossed and an unreadable expression on his face. "What about _me_? You feel like 'talking' to me too?" His fur-trimmed jacket flapped gently in the night wind as sparks began crackling around his body.

Mr. Green eyes blinked in surprise and scowled. "Who are you, her boyfriend?"

Lucy's face flushed and Laxus cocked an eyebrow, "No, just a good samaritan. Now, I asked you a question."

Scruffy and bandana man started backing away from Lucy and Laxus, trembling as they did so. "We don't want any trouble!" they shouted in unison.

Laxus disregarded them and pressed on, glaring at the speechless bald man, _"Well?"_ The sparks grew brighter and wider around Laxus' well-built figure. "Answer me or _leave."_ The dragonslayer did not like to be ignored and he growled irritably.

Finally, baldy smirked up at Laxus. "I'm not going anywhere until I get what I came for…" he leaned into Lucy's neck for a succulent kiss, his one hand preparing to make a grab at her left breast.

**BOOM!**

In a split second, the three men were ensnared by lighting, all of them screaming and writhing in pain.

Lucy placed a hand to her chest and started to hyperventilate. Laxus had perfect timing, quite literally shocking them just milliseconds before the bald-headed thug could force himself on her.

Laxus appeared in front of her in a flash of light. "Are you alright?" he asked in monotone.

Without making eye contact, she caught her breath and nodded, "Yeah, I think so."

The two of them hadn't actually conversed before and she immediately felt awkward. When she first joined the guild, he was her enemy, but he redeemed himself and proved his loyalty to Fairy Tail during the Grand Magic Games when he avenged her teammates. It was during that week that they had communicated for the very first time, even if it was only a few words in passing.

Laxus looked down at her to verify that she was, in fact, unscathed. Lucy blushed furiously as she followed his eyes wander up and down her body.

"I'll take you home", said Laxus. He urged her to walk ahead of him and she obliged.

The thugs twitched in bizarre and unnatural positions on the ground as smoke arose from their comically charred bodies.

Lucy glared down at the bald one as they passed, "How do you like blondes _now_?" She swung her leg back and kicked him full-force in the crotch. He let out a girlish squeal and grabbed his private parts in agony.

"If you or your friends _ever_ come at me again, I'll be forced to reintroduce you to my foot." She smoothed out her skirt before heading out of the alley. "Assholes..."

Laxus smirked and followed behind her. 'She's got spunk, I'll give her that', he thought to himself.

When she turned the corner out of the alley, Lucy felt a muscular arm snake its way around her shoulders. "What the—" she started before Laxus interrupted, "Close your eyes, blondie."

His tone was assertive but not unkind. She looked up and to her right to see Laxus towering over her, his gaze fixed straight ahead of them. Lucy trembled at the warmth of her body pressed up against his and her face flickered crimson.

"What are you doing?" she squeaked nervously.

With a sigh, Laxus continued, "Do you want to go home or not?"

She glanced nervously from side to side.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you", he assured her, squeezing her shoulder ever so gently.

Lucy smiled weakly and nodded. She shut her eyes closed, but her ears painted a mental image of their changing surroundings. Hot white electricity crackled around the two, expanding and growing in intensity.

_What's happening? _

"You ready?", the dragonslayer mumbled.

She was about to reply when an overwhelming pressure forced itself on her tiny frame.

**BOOM!**

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Lucy dropped to her hands and knees and groaned. "W-What did you do?" She opened her eyes to look up at her rescuer.

He grinned mischievously and folded his arms across his chest. She curled her lip as an indication of her annoyance, so he gestured in front of her with the slight nod of his head. She followed his gaze to see that they were not ten feet from the doorstep of her apartment building.

_Wow. He really is as fast as lightning._

Lucy gasped and pulled herself up from the ground. "You're amazing", she breathed, looking over at him with eyes wide in surprise.

Laxus gave her a lecherous grin and winked, "In more ways that one."

"And you're disgusting", she stated flatly before shooting him dirty look and dusting herself off at the same time.

Shrugging, he chuckled, "That's a matter of opinion."

She rolled her eyes and started to walk away from him.

_How can he be so insensitive? I was almost assaulted tonight! The last thing I want to hear is another crude remark._

Lucy stopped in her tracks when she heard him clear his throat and continue speaking, "Sorry… Are you going to be okay?"

With her back still turned to him, Lucy cracked an appreciative smile, "I'll be fine."

_Laxus Dreyar is apologizing to me. That's something to scratch off my bucket list._

Suddenly, it occurred to her that she hadn't even thanked the man for rescuing her and she mentally scolded herself for being ignorant.

"Listen, Laxus… Thank you for—"

**BOOM!**

"—saving me…" she finished, whipping around just in time to see a flicker of white lightning shoot towards the heavens.

_Where'd he go? _

Two buildings over, the dragonslayer stood on a rooftop watching the astonished celestial mage stand alone for a moment before heading indoors to her apartment.

"Goodnight, blondie", he mumbled before turning to make his own way home.

**BOOM!**

Once she was inside her quaint little apartment, Lucy placed her spirit keys on the nightstand and tossed herself onto her bed. She stared at the ceiling and mentally reviewed recent events.

_What was Laxus doing there when I was attacked? And how did he know where I live? Was he following me too?_

She shook her head and scoffed at her own thoughts.

_Naw. Laxus can be a total creep, but I don't think he's the stalker-type. He probably overheard me complaining about all the B&E's at my place..._

Lucy rolled her eyes and giggled at the all-to-familiar image of Natsu, Gray, Happy and Erza making themselves comfortable in _her_ living room before she herself had made it home. Shifting onto her side, the blonde absentmindedly played with her new bracelet, her brief smile fading away as she found her mind wandering back to the man that rescued her.

_Yeah, he must have figured it out somehow. He's a smart guy. Besides, what reason does he have to follow ME? He's not THAT desperate._

She continued to linger on thoughts about the last couple of hours. She knew that if Laxus hadn't shown up her day definitely could have ended a lot worse than it did. She would properly thank him tomorrow at the guild.

Suddenly, she shot up in her bed, a look of disgust plastered on her face. Lucy had just remembered…

_That bald-headed thug ruined my hair with his __**filthy pervert hands!**__ Ugh!_

Groaning, the celestial mage closed her eyes and tilted her head from side to side before forcing herself from the comfort of her bed to take a hot bath.

In the bathroom she started running the hot water and slipped out of her clothes, hopping on one foot at a time as she pulled off her black tights.

When she was completely nude, Lucy stared at herself in the mirror. She loosened her ponytail and let her thick blonde locks cascade over her bare shoulders. Smiling sweetly, the mage posed and winked at her reflection in renewed self-confidence.

_Desperate or not, Laxus would be crazy to overlook this blonde bombshell!_

Lucy glanced over her shoulder to see that the tub was full and turned off the tap before climbing into the steaming bathwater.

"First things, first", she muttered, grabbing her shampoo from the corner of the tub. She emptied half of the container into her palm and nearly scrubbed her scalp raw to make sure that she was no longer tainted.

When she was satisfied, she stretched herself out, propping both arms up on the edge of the tub. She closed her eyes and sighed in relief. "_Finally_, I can relax."

Suddenly, there was a knock at her front door followed by a muffled voice, "Luce! It's Natsu and Happy!"

She groaned and slumped deeper in the tub and blew bubbles in the water. "So much for relaxing…"

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**A/N:**

_As well as writing, I also enjoy drawing in my spare time and I've been drawing fashion for Lucy. If you ever want to check out what outfits Lucy and/or Laxus are wearing for each chapter, just click on the links on my profile page!_


	2. Chapter Two

**A/N:**

_Hey guys! Here's the next chapter! Sorry it took so long to update! Let me know what you think by private messaging me and/or leaving me a review! Your insight gives me inspiration to write more! Or if you have a favorite part, let me know what you liked best! Love 3_

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**Chapter Two**

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Lucy pulled a hand down her face in exasperation. "Let yourselves in!" she called through the bathroom door. "I'll be out in a minute!"

"Aye!" Happy's muffled voice replied. She heard the front door click open and shut.

With a heavy sigh, she got up in the tub and pulled the drain plug before reaching over to grab a towel from the rack nearby.

_I think that this is the first time that they've actually used my front door. Wow. What's the special occasion?_

She chuckled to herself and climbed out of the tub. Even though they had interrupted her bath, Lucy had to admit that she was excited to see both Natsu and Happy. After all, she hadn't seen them in almost a week!

On the bathmat, the mage threw the towel over her head to tousle-dry her wet hair. The cotton fabric was draped over her face, leaving her momentarily blinded as she rustled her hands through the towel.

Suddenly a chill rolled up her spine as she felt the presence of someone else in the room. Whipping the towel off her head, Lucy glanced around the bathroom to find that she was alone.

Cocking an eyebrow, she shrugged and raised a leg up on the edge of the tub so that she could dry off properly. Her ears twitched when she heard a snicker from behind her and she looked down between her legs to see a familiar blue cat covering his mouth with both of his tiny paws.

"Happy", she mumbled dryly.

"Lucy is naaaaked!" he chortled.

Lucy put her leg back down and turned to see the bathroom door was wide open. "I didn't even hear the door open. How did you get in without me noticing?" At the moment, she was too stunned to be angry and she just stared inquisitively at the cat.

"It's because we're _ninjas_!" hissed Natsu from the other room. Before she could react, he had poked his head around the corner, his scarf wrapped around his face in ninja cosplay.

The apartment fell silent and the two mages blinked at each other for a moment before Lucy remembered that she was stark naked. "_Get out!"_ she screamed, grabbing hold of Happy's tail and blindly tossing him at Natsu's surprised face. Slamming the door behind her Lucy seethed, her face as red as a tomato.

_Stupid cat! Stupid Natsu! _

When she had calmed down and collected herself, Lucy wrapped the damp towel around her waist and breasts before opening the bathroom door once again. She glanced around the room and saw two shaking figures in a lump under the blankets on her bed.

"Stay there!" she barked irritably. "I'm getting changed, so unless you have a death wish I suggest that both of you remain where you are until I say otherwise."

"Aye sir!" Happy and Natsu whispered in unison, their voices trembling nervously.

Lucy shook her head and grabbed a fresh pair of underwear along with a plain tank top and her pajama shorts. When she was decent, she took a seat at the table in the middle of the room and cleared her throat, "You can come out now."

In a split second, both of her partners were at her knees, begging for forgiveness.

"We're sorry Lucy!" Happy cried, his eyes dramatically enlarged and glossed over with unshed tears.

_Nice. He's playing the 'cute' card. Tsk. _

"Why were you naked anyways?" Natsu asked bluntly.

Both Lucy and Happy flinched at his stupidity and lack of tact.

"I was taking a bath, but then some idiot and his cat decided to invade my privacy", Lucy replied through clenched teeth, her eyebrow twitching furiously.

_Is he really that clueless?_

"Ohhh", Natsu cooed. Happy sweat dropped and elbowed Natsu in the ribs, scolding him for his lack of apology.

"I mean, I'm so sorry Lucy! Please forgive us!" Natsu started bowing generously.

Lucy rolled her eyes and signalled for them to get up from the floor. "Yeah, yeah. Just make sure it doesn't happen again."

The dragonslayer and the cat bounced up from the ground and Natsu went behind the chair to wrap an arm around the blonde.

"Sure thing, partner!" he replied, grinning from ear to ear.

Lucy turned her head to the side in embarrassment, her cheeks glowing pink.

"So… What's new?" Lucy wanted to change the subject.

"Glad you asked!" Natsu left Lucy and leapt on her bed. He propped his hands back behind his head and beamed. "We just got back from a job with Lisanna!"

Lucy's eyes widened. "Lisanna", she repeated in monotone.

"Yeah!" started Happy as he summoned his wings and flew over to the pink-haired mage. "We had a great time! We battled some dumb bad guys and totally kicked butt!"

"Lisanna was awesome. She used her takeover magic to transform into a giant hairy spider monster!" Natsu said. "The guys from the dark guild definitely weren't expecting that! And the looks on their faces…" He started to laugh, "I couldn't tell if they were horrified or just plain disgusted."

The blue cat giggled, "Or both!"

"Those guys were so lame. As soon as they realized that they'd be facing off against a giant bug, they all just turned tail and ran right into our trap", chimed the dragonslayer thrusting a fist into the air in triumph.

"Natsu burned them to a crisp!" Happy squealed excitedly. He held his paw out and high-fived Natsu.

"Well… I couldn't have done it without Lisanna", Natsu's voice drifted off and he stared hazily at the ceiling.

"I helped too!" scolded the cat, crossing his arms at his friend's lack of recognition.

Natsu looked over to Happy and smiled, gently placing a hand on his head, "Of course you did, little buddy."

Lucy smiled weakly and twiddled her thumbs as her two friends reminisced their most recent job, their voices and laughter fading into an unintelligible murmur as her thoughts wandered elsewhere.

_So much for them being annoyed about my solo mission. They didn't even notice that I left… _

After what seemed like an hour, Lucy heard her name amongst the chatter and looked up to see two pairs of eyes staring at her with concern.

"Are you alright?" Natsu asked. He was propped up on one arm and he tilted his head to the side in uncertainty.

"Y-yeah", the blonde stuttered. "I'm good. It must have been nice to go on a mission with Lisanna after not seeing her for two years."

"Yeah, it was great!" said Natsu, appreciative of Lucy's understanding.

"She's the best!" added Happy with a grin.

Lucy got up from the chair and started towards her bed, "How nice… Anyways, I'm pretty tired. I had a—"

"Say no more!" interrupted the dragonslayer as he got up from the bed. He picked up the cat and tucked him under his arm before opening the front door of Lucy's apartment to leave. "We'll head out now. Have a good night, Luce!" And as quickly as they had arrived, her two friends had left for the night.

Lucy turned and watched Natsu close the door behind them. "Goodnight…"

She climbed under the covers of her bed and snuggled into the blankets, her eyes glossy and emotionless.

_What just happened? Have I been replaced? _

She shook her head and closed her eyes.

_No, __**I**__ was the one that replaced Lisanna when everyone thought she was dead. And now that she's back from Edolas, she's occupied her rightful spot with Natsu._

Lucy sighed. She didn't know what to think right now. Was she was angry with Natsu for not noticing her absence for the last week? Or was she jealous that all he talked about tonight was Lisanna? Was she sad that she was clearly no longer needed by her teammates? Or was she happy that they were finally reunited with a beloved friend whom they thought had been lost forever?

"I don't know how I feel…" she whispered, a single tear rolling down her flushed cheek.

She was exhausted and groaned, knowing full well that she would be up all night overthinking her situation. And so, rolling onto her side, Lucy pulled the blankets over her head, cocooning herself in the warmth and comfort of her bed. Right now, all she could do was take a deep breath and hope for the sanctuary of sleep.

Lucy shifted in the mess of blankets on her bed, her new position exposing her porcelain face to a sliver of morning sunlight peeking through the curtains. She flinched before slowly blinking her eyes open in adjustment to the sun's brightness. As her senses came to, Lucy realized something. For all the busy thoughts that shrouded her mind last night, her feelings had somehow been spared with a dreamless sleep.

_No dreams are better than bad dreams, I guess. _

With a heavy sigh, the blonde shrugged off her blankets and got up from her bed with a conspicuous lack of enthusiasm. She sauntered towards the kitchen and opened the fridge to find that it was empty except for a bottle of ketchup and a _dangerously_ old casserole in a dish. Lucy exhaled loudly and didn't bother checking the cupboards for food; her rumbling stomach had reminded her that they too were empty.

_I forgot that I forgot to buy groceries yesterday…_

She chuckled dryly, a groggy state of indifference sweeping over her. She was too exhausted to care much about breakfast, confusing thoughts having left her restless all night. Still, the celestial mage stared blankly into the open fridge as if waiting patiently for food to magically appear.

_Food-make magic, now that would come in handy._

After a few unproductive minutes of staring off into space, the brisk chill of the open fridge brought her back to reality and Lucy gently pushed the door shut with her fingertips.

_Whatever, I'll just eat at the guild. _

She went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face in a raw attempt to freshen up, but she somehow managed to come out looking worse for wear. The polished skin on her cheeks highlighted the dark circles under her eyes, and the bored, open-mouth expression on her face resembled that of a spritely sun-fish. Fortunately, and uncharacteristically, today Lucy didn't seem to care too much about how she looked.

Running a brush briskly through her tangled hair, Lucy wandered over to her dresser where she randomly rifled through the drawers with her free hand and yanked out the first few things she touched: a coral halter top and a pair of jean shorts.

When she was dressed, the blonde grabbed her precious keys from the nightstand, fastened them to her belt and gave it a good shake to be sure that they were secure. Slipping on a pair of black flip-flops, Lucy opened the front door to leave the apartment building.

Outside, Lucy peered up at the cloudless sky and raised both arms up to stretch. The sunshine beamed down on her face and she could feel the positive energy rekindle her weary spirit. At that moment Lucy decided that today she wouldn't bother stressing about her situation with Natsu. Everything would work itself out in the end.

"After all, it's another beautiful day!" she stated cheerfully.

Her ears perked up when she heard a nearby cat-call, "And a beautiful girl!"

Lucy looked to her right to see the familiar faces of nameless male friends who slowly passed her by on the nearby river in their gondola boat.

"Thanks you guys!" she called back, waving furiously in their direction as they faded off into the distance. She was well aware that she didn't look her best today, but she was thankful for their kind words anyways.

"Lucy?" a small voice queried from behind her.

"Hmm?" Lucy whipped around and met the gaze of an adorable blue-haired girl. "Wendy!" She could barely contain the squeak in her voice, "You scared me! Where did you come from?"

"Oh… Well, I just got here actually", the young dragonslayer replied with a crooked smile. She scratched the back of her head dubiously.

"No kidding. Because you definitely weren't there like ten seconds ago."

Lucy looked to the ground when she heard someone breathing heavily from below her. Carla was collapsed on the ground, her paws stretched behind her to brace what little body weight she had.

"And Carla too!" the celestial mage chortled. "Why are you so out of breath?"

Carla's eyes were closed and she replied between laboured breaths, "_Someone_…felt that it...was urgent…that she…see you…as quickly as…possible…"

Wendy sweat-dropped and smiled sheepishly. "Yeah… Sorry about that Carla. But you know, I didn't ask you to carry me all the way. I wasn't in _that_ much of a hurry!"

Lucy looked from Wendy to Carla as the banter between them continued.

"Not in a hurry? We practically teleported here the moment you heard that Lucy was back in town!" The white cat huffed and folded her arms across her chest. And as if to state her annoyance, Carla stuck her nose in the air and turned her head away from Wendy.

"I'm sorry, okay? I admit, I was really excited to see Lucy again. And I shouldn't have pushed you so hard", the dragonslayer apologized.

The white Exceed nodded in faint approval, but continued to avoid eye contact with her companion.

When the silence between the two friends became more than uncomfortable, Lucy asked, "Why did you need to see me so badly?"

"I missed you of course!" said Wendy, throwing her arms around Lucy's waist and pulled her into a hug. "_We _missed you", the bluenette added quickly.

Carla huffed.

Smiling warmly, Lucy gladly reciprocated the hug. "I missed you guys too."

"Really?"

"You bet!" the celestial mage released her hold on the young girl who was now looking very relieved.

"You have no idea how glad I am to hear that!" Wendy sighed. "With both you and Natsu gone we were stuck with Erza and Gray for almost a week straight. It was a little…overwhelming."

Knowing all too well how "unique" her friends could be, Lucy laughed. "Is that so?"

"Teaming up with a short-tempered masochist and a relentless stripper caused some serious _anxiety_", Carla finally chirped in. She summoned her wings and hovered above the two mages. Placing a paw to her forehead the cat closed her eyes in exasperation, "I don't think I could have handled it much longer."

Wendy chuckled bashfully, "Don't get me wrong, I love those guys, but… To be honest, you really help to…um…balance the team out…"

"Oh?"

"What she's trying to say is that in a guild of shameless hooligans, you've been placed at mild end of the spectrum", Carla added nonchalantly.

"_Carla_!" Wendy scolded. "That was rude!"

The Exceed rolled her eyes but didn't reply.

Lucy stifled a laugh and reached out to pat Wendy's head affectionately, "It's okay, Wendy. I think I understand what you were getting at. And thanks?"

The two of them giggled before Wendy abruptly changed the subject, "Are you feeling okay, Lucy?"

"Yeah, why do ask?" Apparently the dark circles under her eyes had not gone unnoticed. Lucy manipulated her face into what she hoped was a reassuring smile. The last thing she wanted was to worry her friends.

Wendy wanted to inquire about Lucy's health, but had a difficult time choosing the right words to get the point across without sounding mean.

"You just look a little _rough_…today. That's all", the dragonslayer finally replied. She twiddled her thumbs anxiously as she hoped that she hadn't offended her friend.

"You look like you were hit by a magic mobile", Carla added, an emotionless expression on her face.

"_Carla!"_ Wendy hissed, clearly mortified by her companion's tactless reply.

The Exceed batted her eyes in a pitiful attempt to feign innocence, leaving Wendy thoroughly unimpressed. She was about to scold Carla further when they both paused mid-argument at the sound of Lucy gasping for air.

They looked to see Lucy hunched over and laughing hysterically. She had tears in her eyes, and had a genuinely amused expression on her face.

_Well, I think it's safe to say that Carla is unfamiliar with the concept of "sugar-coating" things. _

Wendy looked to Carla for an explanation, but the cat simply shrugged.

When she had collected herself, Lucy straightened up and wiped the corners of her eyes. "You two are great", she stated firmly. "Thanks for that. I really needed a good laugh."

"Um… You're welcome?" Wendy chuckled nervously. She used her hand to gesture in the direction of the guild. "Should we get going?"

"Sounds good!" replied the blonde, nodding in confirmation.

They started walking towards Fairy Tail with Carla following behind them. Wendy had been concerned about Lucy's general wellbeing, but after seeing her laugh and smile like she had, the blunette decided that she would not press further into the matter.

"I'm _starving!_" whined Lucy.


	3. Chapter Three

**A/N:**

_Hi readers! Once again, sorry for the late update. As promised... this chapter has some more Laxus in it! Hopefully you all enjoy. Feel free to leave comments and reviews and let me know what you think! Also, please keep checking back on this particular chapter, as I will probably be adding more to it later on. I'm going to try and keep most chapters at 2,500 word count for consistency (Oops, I have OCD!). If you'd like to me to PM you when I have added to this chapter, just PM me, and I'll be sure to keep you updated (since the site won't notify you guys when I add onto an already existing chapter). Lots of love 3_

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**Chapter Three**

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"Good morning, Mira!" Lucy chortled after she pushed open the large wooden doors to the guild hall.

Wendy waved at the platinum blonde barmaid and smiled. Carla made no gesture at all.

"Well, good morning ladies!" Mirajane replied. She beamed at them before turning away to tend to customers.

Right away, Lucy noticed that Laxus was sitting at the bar, munching away on his breakfast. His eyes were closed and he had his headphones on.

_Typical Laxus. Well, I guess now is as good a time as ever to thank him. _

She then looked over to the other side of the guild and noted her table of friends—Natsu, Lisanna, Happy, Erza, Gray, Juvia, and Elfmen—all talking amongst one another. Even from far away Lucy could see the look of disgust on Erza's face as she dramatically scolded Gray for his lack of clothing. Juvia's face was beet red, visible hearts bouncing out from her eyes.

The pretty blonde chuckled, "Wendy, Carla, you go ahead and join the others. I'll meet you there. I'm going to order some breakfast."

"Alright!" the bluenette replied as she skipped off to a distant table where Natsu and the others were seated.

Lucy planted herself on a stool near Laxus, but did not acknowledge him right away. She wanted to think about how to approach him and collect herself.

_This is awkward. I don't know where to begin. _

"What can I get for you, Lucy?" asked Mirajane cheerfully as she wandered over to her from behind the counter. The look of concern in Mira's eyes told Lucy's that her 'rough' appearance had raised some red flags, but the barmaid didn't bring it up and the blonde mage was grateful for her discretion.

"Hmm…" Lucy paused for a moment and looked over at Laxus just as he impaled a sausage with his fork. He was munching on his breakfast and now staring intently at the wall in front of him. She didn't even look to see what he was eating before she blurted out, "I'll have whatever he's having. And a chocolate-banana smoothie please."

"Oh, my!" the takeover mage gasped. "You must be _really_ hungry!"

The blonde chuckled, "Yes ma'am!"

"One number seven meal, coming right up!" said Mirajane.

Lucy inched her stool closer to Laxus in hopes of grabbing his attention, but his gaze remained fixed on the barren wall in front of him. Clearing her throat, Lucy angled her body towards him and crossed one leg over the other. She was all business today.

"Hey, Laxus?" started the celestial mage.

He made no attempt to respond and continued munching on some toast, seemingly oblivious to Lucy's advances. Her brow furrowed at his blatant ignorance.

She raised her voice so that he could hear through his headphones, "I'D LIKE TO TALK WITH YOU, LAXUS. CAN YOU PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR MUSIC?"

Laxus winced, and turned his head to look at her before sliding his headphones down to rest on his shoulder blades. "You know, shouting is very un-lady-like. You should try to be more soft-spoken and quiet because the whole 'loud and obnoxious' thing doesn't suit you at all."

_This guy obviously doesn't know me very well. I'm always shouting at Team Natsu, and for good reason! Most of the time it's because they've destroyed something, stripped, or nearly killed us all... Gotta to love friends, right?_

Lucy raised her eyebrow, "I was only shouting so that you could hear me over your music."

Laxus chuckled, "I can appreciate the effort, but I wasn't listening to music."

"Ohhh. So you're into self-help tapes, are you?" Lucy took a quick jab at his ego, but he swiftly deflected.

"Actually, I was enjoying the solitude of silence until you came and interrupted."

"Silence? So you're telling me that you're wearing those gigantic headphones and you're not even listening to music?" Lucy was a little confused.

"I _do_ use them to listen to music, just not when I'm at the guild."

"Then why are you even wearing them at all?" the celestial wizard scrutinized.

"Because usually when people see that someone is listening to music, they'll leave that person be." Laxus turned back to his plate, picking up his fork to continue eating breakfast only to be interrupted again.

"But you weren't listening to music", she stated flatly.

The dragonslayer sighed in exasperation. His patience was wearing thin. "I realize that. The point is… Normally, people don't bother other people when they appear to be pre-occupied."

"Okay…" Lucy could pretend to understand, even if she was talking to a crazy person.

Laxus rolled his eyes, but for some reason felt obligated to explain himself, "I wear headphones to make people think that I'm pre-occupied—more specifically, listening to music—and people, in turn, leave me alone."

"Ah, I see…"

_Yikes. This guy is the definition 'antisocial.' He should just slap a sticker on his forehead reading 'introvert.' It might save him some time and effort._

"I guess you don't like people very much", the celestial mage muttered.

"Not necessarily. I just prefer to keep to myself. Now, is there a _reason_ that you're bothering me, or can I go back to eating my breakfast?" Laxus was desperate to get back to his meal before it got cold.

_Nice evasive technique. _

"As a matter of fact, I _do_ have a reason", said Lucy, rubbing her elbow nervously.

Laxus looked at her expectantly, a blank expression written across his face.

"You ran off so quickly last night. I didn't get a chance to… thank you for rescuing me."

A faint smile played at the corners of the dragonslayer's mouth, "Sure thing. You're welcome."

Lucy smiled back, a started wiggling her toes in her flip-flops.

"So… Are we done here?"

"Oh! Yeah." She cleared her throat again, "Yes, that's all that I wanted to say."

"Here's your breakfast, Lucy!" Mirajane cut in. She placed a humongous plate of food on the bar counter in front of Lucy: eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, pancakes, waffles, hash browns and a croissant to top it off.

"Holy crap!" hissed the blonde in surprise. "Why is there so much?"

Mirajane sweat-dropped and smiled, "You _did_ order the number seven meal…" She set Lucy's smoothie beside the plate.

Chuckling nervously, Lucy replied, "Yes. Yes, I did…"

_Oops. Maybe I should have actually looked to see what Laxus was eating before I ordered the same thing for myself. _

She could hear Laxus snickering beside her.

"How can you eat _all_ of this?" she waved her hand in a whimsical motion over her hot plate of breakfast.

Laxus arched his thumb back, gesturing to himself as he stated matter-of-factly, "Dragonslayer."

_Right. How silly of me to ask. Natsu has just as insane an appetite, if not worse. Hmm, and so does Gajeel. Wendy, on the other hand… I don't think I've ever actually seen her eat. Weird. _

Lucy finally got up to leave, but quickly sat back down when a booming voice came from the second floor of the guild, "Gather around kids! I've got something important to say!"

It was master Makarov.

The busy rumbling of excited guild members quickly settled down. Lucy could see Natsu and Lisanna in the far corner together. He had his arm wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her in close to him. Lisanna's face flushed pink and she was grinning from ear to ear.

_They both look so happy..._

Makarov continued, "One year ago today, wizards from all over Fiore came together to fend off the dragons that passed through Zeref's Eclipse Gates. With teamwork and perseverance we were able to force the seven beasts back through the gates and into the past. If it were not for the cooperation of multiple guilds and the commitment of those guild members, it can be certain that we would not be here today."

The master had every guild members' undivided attention and he gazed down upon his 'children' lovingly.

"I want each of you to remember that the bonds that you have formed here in Fairy Tail and the friendships that you've made will always provide you with hope and the strength to be successful, whatever your endeavors may be. We are a family here, and I look forward to seeing you all continue to grow as wizards and proud members of Fairy Tail."

Lucy could see many guild-mates exchange glances with one another; each member beaming with pride.

"I am honored to be your guild master, and it is with great pleasure that I announce that tomorrow night the first annual Eclipse Gate anniversary party will take place under this very roof!" He pointed to the ceiling with a huge grin on his face.

The guild hall erupted with cheers and hoots as people celebrated the idea of a party.

"Time to get my drink on!" Cana hollered over the noise. She thrust a beer mug into the air, spilling its contents all over the wooden floors.

Lucy looked over her shoulder to see Mirajane shake her head in quiet disapproval. "With a guild as lively as ours, it feels like there's a party here every day…" Mira giggled before grabbing another glass mug to start polishing.

"No kidding. But you know, this _could_ be fun", an optimistic Lucy suggested.

Laxus snorted and from the corner of her eye Lucy saw him turn back to his breakfast which was probably stone cold by now. Suddenly, she felt a pang of guilt.

_The poor guy just wanted to eat his breakfast and now it's cold. I feel kind of feel bad for talking to him._

"Here's some money, Mira. Thanks for the grub", Lucy said, slapping a handful of jewels on the counter.

"You're welcome!" Mira sang.

Lucy grabbed her smoothie, got up from the stool and stepped over to Laxus who had placed his headphones back onto his ears.

Gently, she lifted one side away from his ear and whispered, "Sorry that your breakfast got cold. You can have mine. I wasn't _that _hungry anyways."

Laxus turned his head to look up at Lucy. She was only inches away from his face and she was smirking, "Was that quiet enough for you?"

The dragonslayer was caught completely off guard and his mouth parted slightly in surprise.

"_Enjoy_", the celestial mage finished before heading to her friends' table on the other side of the room.

"Well, well, _well_...", Laxus mumbled, a smile creeping out from behind his signature scowl. "Sassy little thing."


End file.
